Lana Del Rey says new single ‘Bluebird’ was inspired by a bird flying into her window

Lana Del Rey has revealed the inspiration behind her latest single ‘Bluebird’.

• READ MORE: Lana Del Rey live at Reading Festival 2024: a classic in the making – despite the “techno”

The singer released her new country-inflected single on Friday (April 18), taken from her currently untitled upcoming album. Now, she’s told fans the song came from a moment when a real bird seemed to bring her a sign.

In a video shared to Instagram, Del Rey explained: “I had been seeing someone for a very long time, and we hadn’t seen each other for a while, and he called and he asked me if I wanted to go for a walk.

“And I was kind of excited, but I didn’t think it was a very good idea. And I said yes, and I started getting dressed, and all of a sudden, a bird smacked in the double pane window doors of my bedroom, and I was shocked.”

She went on to say: “I opened the little door and I saw this little I think it was like… little swallow right there. And I just was so emotional. Because, you know when you just know that, something is meant for you, like, sometimes I feel like nature has its own way of communicating with you, especially in extremely severe situations.”

Del Rey added that she picked up the bird and started to sing, “Little bird, bluebird/Fly away for both of us,” which are lyrics that ended up being included in the song.

“I kept singing, and it did eventually kind of stumble away and dizzily flew up onto the little podium that there was there,” Del Rey said, before admitting that she did end up going on the walk. “I didn’t really like [how] the walk led to more years of confusion,” she added.

‘Bluebird’ follows last week’s (April 11) ethereal release, ‘Henry, Come On’, the first preview of the new album, which Del Rey said will predominantly feature a country sound, but with additions and explorations of other genres throughout the record. The tracklist has yet to be revealed.

The upcoming album, which will be her 10th, was announced last year, and was at the time titled ‘The Right Person Will Stay’, and before that, ‘Lasso’. Marking the follow-up to 2023’s ‘Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd’, the record was earmarked for May 21, but Del Rey has since warned fans the upcoming album will not “come on time” – and, whenever it does, it’ll have a new title.

“I mean, you know it’s not going to come on time, right?” the Grammy nominee said in a since-deleted Instagram post. “Like, should I even tell you that the name changed again?”

‘Henry, Come On’ also marked her first solo release in two years, and follows last July’s collaboration with Quavo, ‘Tough’. The singer spoke to NME about the album last May, and suggested that the lyrics on the LP might be lighter than her more recent output.

“I’ve maybe less to say in terms of any self-revealing things like on ‘Tunnel’ or ‘Blue Bannisters’ or ‘Chemtrails Over The Country Club’, and just more melodic,” she said. “Maybe more American Songbook style?”

Del Rey had previously said the project would arrive last October, later addressing the ongoing wait for the project by saying she was following her instincts after feeling a “literal energetic pause”.

Elsewhere, the ‘Cherry’ artist is set to embark on a UK and Ireland stadium tour this summer, with the dates all coming in support of ‘The Right Person Will Stay’. At the tail end of 2024, Del Rey became the highest-selling solo artist of 2025, the stadium trek selling out.

Following the announcement of huge gigs in Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool, Dublin and London and their subsequent sell-outs, huge demand led to a second show in the UK capital being announced.

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